The SALE of ferrets should be illegal, not ownership.

I've owned at least a dozen ferrets. I have worked at pet stores. I have seen many ferrets for sale at these pet stores. These pet stores will purchase ferrets from mills and sell them in their stores for around one hundred dollars each. People come in and see these ferrets all the time, play with them, pet them, but nobody will actually buy them. Those ferrets will sit in those cages for years, without proper play time, or care. Then, these ferrets will become unsociable, depressed, and even hostile. I see them go through these changes in behavior. I see how it affects their health. Some people will buy these ferrets and return them because they cannot properly care for them. Ferrets are very sociable animals that need daily interaction, play time, and a consistent schedule. There is actual work involved in keeping these animals, and if owners can't properly care for their ferrets, their ferrets will become hyper, aggressive, destructive, restless, much like a puppy would if you did not give it enough attention. So these people will take the ferrets back, and the ferrets will sit in their cages for months. It was very hard for me to see these ferrets become this way. I was mainly looking at weight loss, coat health, and their psychological state, especially if they were lone. Some of those ferrets were in worse conditions than others. Some of them had permanent neurological damage, and that isn't an exaggeration.And yet I still see more ferrets sold in pet stores every day. They are sold for too much money, they are kept in the stores for extensive periods of time because of their sale price. These animals are not the same as mice or hamsters. Their level of effort and responsible, proper care are comparable to that of owning a dog or cat. And just like dogs and cats, the SALE should be illegal.

The sale of ferrets should be illegal. Ferrets should only be up for adoption in facilities that are CAPABLE of ensuring they will find proper, permanent homes, such as ferret shelters. Since most ferrets are neutered, the population will not increase. If they can not be purchased from mills, the number of sheltered or homeless ferrets will decrease, and more ferrets will receive proper care by responsible owners. Responsible owners know how to properly care for a ferret's health. Rabies would not be a considerable issue. Distemper would not be an issue. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm saying it's not an issue large enough to consider banning the ownership of ferrets. The bigger issue is population. Not enough people are providing homes for the ferrets purchased from mills by pet stores. Many of these ferrets do not find homes, and many of them will stay in shelters permanently while more and more people bring in pet store ferrets they cannot keep. These shelters are becoming overcrowded. Pet stores need to stop selling ferrets. Period.

The SALE of ferrets should be illegal, not ownership.

I've owned at least a dozen ferrets. I have worked at pet stores. I have seen many ferrets for sale at these pet stores. These pet stores will purchase ferrets from mills and sell them in their stores for around one hundred dollars each. People come in and see these ferrets all the time, play with them, pet them, but nobody will actually buy them. Those ferrets will sit in those cages for years, without proper play time, or care. Then, these ferrets will become unsociable, depressed, and even hostile. I see them go through these changes in behavior. I see how it affects their health. Some people will buy these ferrets and return them because they cannot properly care for them. Ferrets are very sociable animals that need daily interaction, play time, and a consistent schedule. There is actual work involved in keeping these animals, and if owners can't properly care for their ferrets, their ferrets will become hyper, aggressive, destructive, restless, much like a puppy would if you did not give it enough attention. So these people will take the ferrets back, and the ferrets will sit in their cages for months. It was very hard for me to see these ferrets become this way. I was mainly looking at weight loss, coat health, and their psychological state, especially if they were lone. Some of those ferrets were in worse conditions than others. Some of them had permanent neurological damage, and that isn't an exaggeration.And yet I still see more ferrets sold in pet stores every day. They are sold for too much money, they are kept in the stores for extensive periods of time because of their sale price. These animals are not the same as mice or hamsters. Their level of effort and responsible, proper care are comparable to that of owning a dog or cat. And just like dogs and cats, the SALE should be illegal.

The sale of ferrets should be illegal. Ferrets should only be up for adoption in facilities that are CAPABLE of ensuring they will find proper, permanent homes, such as ferret shelters. Since most ferrets are neutered, the population will not increase. If they can not be purchased from mills, the number of sheltered or homeless ferrets will decrease, and more ferrets will receive proper care by responsible owners. Responsible owners know how to properly care for a ferret's health. Rabies would not be a considerable issue. Distemper would not be an issue. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm saying it's not an issue large enough to consider banning the ownership of ferrets. The bigger issue is population. Not enough people are providing homes for the ferrets purchased from mills by pet stores. Many of these ferrets do not find homes, and many of them will stay in shelters permanently while more and more people bring in pet store ferrets they cannot keep. These shelters are becoming overcrowded. Pet stores need to stop selling ferrets. Period.

Ferrets are so nice!

Any animal can carry rabies, ferrets just get a bad reputation. They are more energetic, but that makes them so fun during playtime! I got a baby ferret from a pet store, and she has become my little baby girl. Ferrets might bite at your toes sometimes, but it never draws blood. Honestly, after having a ferret for a while, you will start to love the toe bites. And plus, when they have just woken up, they are so relaxed and sleepy. They have the cutest yawns, and are a great pet when you learn how to take care of them.